The Göttingen Local Elections on September 13

There’s an important date right in the middle of the semester break: the local elections on September 13. These elections are extremely important for several reasons:

• Compared to other elections, fewer people vote in local elections. Not only are there fewer eligible voters, but voter turnout is also lower. This makes every vote in these elections all the more important.
• Local governments decide on many important matters: how many buses run, whether bike lanes are expanded, and whether the city provides financial support for cultural programs. In addition, local governments play a role in making housing and heating affordable and climate-neutral.
• The shift to the right is also noticeable at the local level. Right-wing parties have long recognized that they can infiltrate politics through local issues and normalize their presence there. To prevent this, we need the necessary majorities to stand up against it.

So if you want to help decide Göttingen’s future, here are the most important things you should know:

Am I eligible to vote?

You are eligible to vote if, at the time of the election…

• are 16 years of age or older
• are a citizen of an EU country
• have been registered with your primary residence in Göttingen for at least 3 months

What am I voting on?

Local elections combine many individual elections. In Göttingen, the following positions are up for election:

City Council:

The Göttingen City Council is the most important body when it comes to local political decisions. Most of the issues listed above – such as public transportation, the repair and expansion of bike lanes, a wide variety of cultural experiences, as well as climate protection and climate adaptation – fall within its purview. The City Council is elected for a five-year term.

County Council:

The County Council is responsible for all matters decided at the Göttingen county level. These include, among other things, waste management, secondary schools, and support for individual municipalities. The County Council is elected for a term of 5 years.

Local Councils:

The local councils of the City of Göttingen each represent a district. There, they are responsible for the same areas of responsibility as the City Council and decide on all matters not already regulated centrally by the City Council. In addition, they must be consulted on important decisions. The local councils are elected for a term of 5 years.

Mayor:

The person elected to this office heads the Göttingen city administration, which is responsible for implementing the City Council’s decisions, and formally represents the City of Göttingen. Starting with this election cycle, the mayor is elected for a term of 8 years.

County Administrator:

In this office, the elected official represents the Göttingen district externally and implements the resolutions of the district council. The County Administrator is elected for a term of 8 years.

When and where can I vote?

The election itself will take place on Sunday, September 13^th. You’ll receive your election notice by mail around mid-August.
If you’d like to vote by mail, you’ll find a QR code in the notice that you can use to request your absentee ballot materials directly online. These will then be mailed out starting in late August. If you’d prefer to go in person, you can either go to the absentee voting office before September 13^th or to your election office on election day. All the necessary information for this is included in the election notice.
If you won’t be in Göttingen by the end of August, or if you simply haven’t made any specific plans yet, you can order your absentee ballot materials right now and even have them sent to an address in the EU other than your registered address. You’ll find brief instructions on how to do this below.

How can I order my absentee ballot materials now?

1. If you’d like your absentee ballot materials sent to your registered address, simply send an email to briefwahl@goettingen.de. The email must include the following:

• Your full name
• Your date of birth
• Your address (street, house number, ZIP code, city)
• All elections for which you would like to receive absentee voting materials (City Council, Local Council, County Council, Mayor, District Administrator)

2. If you would like your absentee ballot materials sent to a different address, you can simply write an informal letter. This must be addressed to the Absentee Ballot Office and include the following:

• Your full name

• Your date of birth

• Your officially registered address (street, house number, ZIP code, city)

• The address to which the materials should be sent (street, house number, ZIP code, city)

• All elections for which you would like to receive absentee ballot materials (City Council, Local Council, County Council, Mayor, County Administrator)

• Your signature

  You can then email this document to briefwahl@goettingen.de.

3. Alternatively, with your election notice you can also go to the absentee voting office in person before the election and cast your vote there directly. You will need your election notice, which contains all needed information.